Postings by Leo

I seriously doubt Leo's diet is what's causing this, due to many reasons. His diet actually isn't that complicated, though it seems hard to explain over the internet. We've considered dozens of options for his diet, including raw, and have decided this is currently the best path for him. His food doesn't fit into his bowls because they aren't the usualy, giant dog food bowls people usually use. His diet certainly isn't nothing but carbs- that makes up less than a third at most. You guys will just have to trust me (and the entire team of vets who have been working very closely with us on this) that his diet isn't the problem.

Leo isn't fat at all- he's in the bottom half of the healthy range. He's also quite tall for a golden, probably an English Golden Retreiver.

Like I said for the nilif, we sort of do it, but we're not going to make him work before we pet him or when we play fetch, unless you count the bringing it back and dropping it.

Using my common sense, I thought that if he's fine on a 45 minute walk, a 60 or 75 minute walk wouldn't be a big deal. So when we got to the end of the loop and he was dragging his feet, I was very surprised. When I said he was stubling, I didn't mean staggering and tripping and falling over, I meent he was dragging his paws and when they'd catch on something, a rock or a stick, he'd stumble. Sorry for the mix up. But his daily exercize having another 30 minutes of a fairly gentle walk is not the equivilent of going from a couch potato to running ten miles.

It might have been the heat actually, I'm so used to it be cold and rainy one day and blazing hot the next that I tend not to notice it that much. however it has been getting a lot hotter lately. I guess we'll just have to go for shorter walks during the hotter days.

There's nothign wrong with Leo's heart as far as we know, and he has been checked out byt he vet recently. He goes in every few months at least, and gets a check-up when he's there, so I think we would know if there was something wrong there, unless it was somehow hidden.

I've been hearing more and more cases of the evening crazies. I'm thinking it might jsut be that. So when I exercize him from now on, I'll look at how tired he is after, not the time frame, since he is (apart from allergies and skin condition) such a healthy boy. For his diet, I'll be sticking with what our vet outlined for us. After dinner, we'll play a nice game of fetch to help him work out his crazies in a good way.

His home cooked meal varies a bit, according to his allergies. Right now it's mostly grains and vegetables, without much protein. So oats or rice, and just basic veggies like carrots. he also gets a few natural suppliments. Right now it's just a few kinds of herbs for his skin, nails, and such. In about a month we'll be adding a new protein source and see how he reacts to it. This is all with vet recomendations. We're trying to find a food that he won't be allergic to at all- with the Salmon based dry food he's eating now he still has too many infections and too much hyper-pigmentation. He also too itchy.

We feed Leo three times a day because if all his food was in two meals, it wouldn't fit in the bowl, and we like to train him with his meals, so this way he gets more training.

We've been given him an hour or tw of exercize since starting this thread, so far his evening crazies haven't changed, so no instant results there. I'll start playing fetch with him just after dinner, I'm sure that will help.

We always make him work for his food, but not for pets or getting in the car, not for everything that he likes to do. He always has to bahave though, so with his leash he put his head through the harness, and with thecar/going outside he waits until we tell him he can go in. I'm not sure if that's what nilif is, or if it's more than that. Anyways, he always works for his food.

When we're exercizing him, I think it might be too much for him right now. At the end of our walk yesterday I had to pull him back home he was so tired. He was stumbling, and his head was hanging. He probably needs to build up to this new level of ctivity. At what point should we stop exercizing?

Food dispensing toys would work, or putting ball or other obsticle in the bowl. What I've found works for Leo is pouring water in with the food, sort of like a soup. It takes Leo at least triple the time to eat it, and seems to make him swallow more carefully. We also have a holey-roller toy, and if I put that in his food bowl as well as some water, he'll take a very long time to finish.

Rexy, it is after I feed him his dinner, but I don't notice it after other meals. His dinner is always home-made, as opposed to his breakfast and lunch which consist of dog food. His dinner is always bigger than the other two meals, since it's not dried, so maybe i should feed it to him in two parts? If Leo had dinner just before bed, he'd just come upstairs and bug someone. (We stopped crating him at night for a few different reasons.)

Selli, do you know of other goldens with the evening crazies? He does have a few dog friends in the area, but they're all busy and none could meet him after dinner more than a few times a month. I'll try playing soccer with him right after he's eaten in the backyard, and see if he's behaving well enough to continue doing that. We live in South-Western Canada.

Starting tomorrow, he'll get an hour or more of exercize everyday, and I'll starting teaching him more intersting things. I'll try agaility again- we gave up on that when he was yonger and didn't have to basic obidience down, but I think it's past time to try it again.

I don't really watch tv, so I commoercial breaks won't happen, but I will train him bfore his meals and have longer trining sessions with him. Now that it's summer, we'll probably going swimming more often, a few times week atleast. Leo loves fetching stuff in the water. I'll start putting some food in a kong toy too.

I only avoid fetch when he's acting crazy, as it amps him up and he gets even crazier. When he's behaving normally, I love to play fetch with him. It's great fun for both of us. Thanks for your quick responses guys, Leo and I both appreciate them. Tomorrow he's going to be a very tired dog!

My golden retreiver is just over two. Our last trainer warned us about 'the two year old phase,' and said not to worry or get mad at Leo for misbehaving a bit. His behaviour is very similar to his younger misbehaviour, but sometimes seems like he's trying to get attention. I've been wondering if he has a need that's not being met.

He gets 20-45 minutes of exercize on average, occasionally more. It's usually walking on leash, running off leash, and playing some fetch in the yard. sometimes he also goes swimming or to the dog park.

It also might be training. He gets about 15 minutes per day, with about two days doubled that. Usually it's spread out in 2 or 3 sessions, since a few different people do it.

He always acts out just after dinner, (not nessacaily just after being fed,) and it can last anywhere from 5 minutes to twenty. I've seen no consistant difference when he gets more or less training or exercize. He's also irrited by itchy skin, and probably mild stomaches quite often. (Environmental and food allergies, and ichthyosis- we're working with our vet to help those symptoms, but it's slow going.)

When he acts out, I'm stern with him, and very clearly remind him of the boundaries. I don't get anrgy with thim though, and I try to switch his attention to something else, like from a pillow to one of his toys. Is that the right way to handle this? When I try playing fetch or something, he gets even crazier, so I avoid that.

Leo is a smart, energetic, young boy. Does he need something we're not providing him, or is it just a case of the terrible twos? Has anyone gone through anything similar?

The dream would be that the dog sees Leo, automatically loves, and they're best friends for life. Being a tad more realistic, I'm just hoping they can tolerate each other. Occasionally Leo can have excellant manners, usually with smaller dogs. Sometimes (he always does this to a 5-pound neighbour's dog) he'll get right down to the ground, whine and wiggle, and be very sweet. So he is capable of less annoying greetings.

I'm hoping that the other dog, after the walk and while still in neutral territory, will let Leo say hello without being anxious, and with no biting/snarling. I am prepared to work with the dogs while they get used to each other and become friends, but for that to work, they'd have to both accept one another. For Leo, that means he'd have to be less crazy than normal. For the little dog, he'd have to not be aggressive.

i don't know if that's too much to ask. I know both dogs are capable of it, and have done it before, but the chances that they'll both be on their best behaviour with each other seems kind of slim.

Leo loves playing with small dogs. He's usually quite gentle with them. He's had some nice plays with little dogs. He doesn't try to wrestle with them, just chase and hang out together.

With big dogs, Leo will play fight, chase, and generally goes crazy if they don't want to play with him. With really big dogs, any dog taller than him, he always wants to play but if the dog ever faces him, Leo freaks out. I suppose he wants to chase the big dog, but not have the big dog chase him, or wrestle. So he always has the best manners with small dogs.

I'll take care with them. They're both staying on leash the entire time, and if Leo start to get crazy or if the other dog starts to get anxious or aggressive, we'll give them a break from each other.

In a way, I feel like this has to work. If I don't adopt this dog, and no one else does in the next few weeks, than the owners going to get rid of him. He's moving, and decided he doesn't want this "problem" with him any more. So if the dog doesn't find a home with us, he's either in the kill-shelter, the SPCA, or on the streets. I worry that if I do take him, it might not be because he fits with us, but because I'll feel awful if I don't adopt him. Any of you brilliant people have advice for that, either?

If a dog growls or snaps at him, Leo will back away, but only for a moment or two. If a dog ignores him for a while he`ll get really frustrated and then start pouncing (not on the dog, but very close) and barking.
Also, if another dog act submissive to Leo he`ll pretend to be dominent/aggresive, although if any dog actually challenges him he'll just do his puppy thing and not try for dominence at all.
So, all in all, he's a very annoying dog. I love him, and he's usually a bit calmer with people, but with dogs, even friendly playful guys can/will get annoyed by him.

The dog lives fairly far away, and his owner is moving soon. (Not sure how soon yet.) So while I'd love to introduce them slowly and have a bunch of play dates with them, it won't work out like that. I might be able to go see him once of twice before bringing him home, if I decide to, so that Leo and and the new dog can see each other at least two or three times before having them live together. I'm also not adopting the dog from a rescue, he's still with the people who didn't give him any attention.

I'll definitely be taking them for a walk before letting them meet face to face. You guys have some really good advice, thank-you.

I also frgot to mention that he currently lives with a cocker spaniel, who he loves He plays with the spaniel all the time, so I'm thinking once he and Leo get used to each other, they'll have lots of fun too. Hopefully.

I'm in the process of adopting a small dog, but I'm told he's shy around new dog until he gets to know them. He can act agressive towards them. Leo, my Golden Retreiver, is just over two and stil as playful as ever. Whenever he meets a new dog all he wants to do is play. (Unless he's nervous too.) He can be quite annoying to other dogs somtimes.
The dog I might be adopting is also male, but he's not neutered like Leo is. (He will be though, if/when I get him, I'll be doing that right away.) He's about 1 1/2 years old, and hasn't been socialized properly to other dogs. He was bought as a present and then ignored ever since.
So the house training, and other training, I've done plenty of, but I've never socialized a dog who wasn't a puppy before.
So, does anyone have any advice on how to introduce the two when they first meet, or on how to socialize the new dog so he's not nervous/aggressive to dogs he meets?
I've been researching this online, but I'd really love to hear some opinions on my specific situation. Thanks everyone.